Mail on Windows Machines

We have made some changes to to the mail settings for the windows machines.

You can know send to 'localhost' or '127.0.0.1' from your scripts. Mail.yourdomain.com may not work now. This is to help off set a LOT of the load so the mail servers are not doing all the mail for 20 some NT servers.

The PHP.INI file is being updated for every machine, so you should no longer need a custom php.ini file for your mail() function in php.

[MEELAN]

Why did not I get this information in my email.

Several sites of my clients use "mail.clientsdomain.com" to send mails from their ASP scripts.

Do I have to go and change all of them now?

[jmbeach]

No, I think they'll still work, but to balance the load, each windows machine is allowed to send mail now - should help the mail servers a little

Matrix, is my explanation correct?

Changing them to to point to localhost would be best.

[MEELAN]

Originally posted by landiserve
Changing them to to point to localhost would be best.

Ok, I have done it.

Hereafter, Please inform us through an email. I didn't get any in this reagrd.

Thank god, I kept all this information on a common one "include" file on each domain and didn't have much trouble in changing them.

By the way, is it a permenant change? Will you inform us through the mailing list in advance?.

lankan, I was just told of the details on the changes about 3 minutes ago myself, but I will try to keep them in line next time

[MEELAN]

landiserver:

Don't worry, That not a complain from me ;-)

By the way, is it ONLY to windows domains? I use "mail.domain.com" in unix domain scripts also.

I do NOT have to change them, right?

I am not sure... What are you using to send the mail with? PHP? Perl? in PHP, the mail() function works (and always has) by default, using the local sendmail...

[MEELAN]

All my clients' unix boxes use "FrontPage extensions to send mails.

Hope this will not be a problem?

[Brangwyn]

I read the post as being more applicable to PHP than ASP/CDOSYS/CDONTS etc.

I could be wrong though, I had to read it about 3 times before coming to that conclusion, I was about to go off my nut hearing mail.yourdomain.com etc would no longer work as that would have hit every customer basically and I couldnt believe that would have been changed without prior notice being given.

The IP addresses for the NT machines were removed from the mail server's relaying configuration. ... That probably means that every script will break - maybe tomorrow they will put them back on for a week so everyone can get their scripts changed.

Good point Brangwyn

[Brangwyn]

Doh ! .. I truly apprecaite the effort that's being made here to relieve the mailservers, but I think the above change was a bit of a bad call, the intent is right and its a workable solution, but shouldn't have been just unilaterally implemented without lots of notification.

Scripts, Forum Configurations, osCommerce Configurations and many other things will need to be updated by customers, not to mention the potential confusion it will create with some of our less than "internet savvy" customers.

I hate to think how many potential sales some of our eCommerce customers may have lost as well if scripts haven't been working for much of today.

[Scroller]

Hey! This is ridiculous! Can't we even be informed in advance? I have got clients receiving orders, alerts, everything over their website using online forms and backend ASP scripts ... and all of them are pointing to "mail.hsphere.cc" as tech told me to do some couple of months back. I'm gonna get screwed if they miss something and I can't even give a good explanation. Damn! THIS IS REALLY BAD!!!!

[Brangwyn]

I think before any of us have a 'nana I'd suggest we wait until Brad confirms just exactly what he thinks the impact would have been due to the changes made, imo its probably prevented a lot of sites email from working correctly (and I'm pretty sure I'm reading it right this time thanks to Matt's explanation) it might explain a few weird TT's I got myself earlier today, but we could still be reading more into it than there really is.

[jmbeach]

Originally posted by Brangwyn
I read the post as being more applicable to PHP than ASP/CDOSYS/CDONTS etc.

I could be wrong though

Yeah, don't forget that those using Dundas or Persits may be using mail.theirdomain.com for their smtp server settings.